As many of you know, my camera and I have been on a little hiatus. Oh, I'm still taking pictures. I'm working on a photo project called "The Year I Was 60". I am now 60! Wow! I also spent a wonderful day with my sister at a beautiful garden where I took tons of pictures. I will post about that next week. Anyway, since I've spent less time outside with my camera and more time inside, I decided to be creative in a different way.
My first project was a mini album with pictures from my favorite place, the woods behind our house. I scrapbook, but this was my first mini album. I blogged about this already, but if you missed it and would like to see the rest of the pages, you can go here.
I've been wanting to play with paper and glue and create a collage. I flipped through some magazines, cutting out words and pictures. First I made a small postcard to hang in my craft room. Just a little something I could glance at and remind me to take the time to create.
Well, that was so much fun, I dug out a sketchbook I've had for a very long time. A sketch book that had no sketches in it. In fact, every page was still blank. It's not blank any more! My first page is about me and my love of nature. I included one of my photographs, stickers, embellishments, and stamped the butterfly.
Here's what I wrote:
I am inclined to
capture moments
I look eagerly at my
surroundings
Nature whispers to me
It brings infinite peace
I listen
I hear...
the birds clearly singing
the wind rushing by
I am on a journey of
wonder and discovery
I write
I photograph
In my heart...
I know I am an artist
The second page I created was about spring. I went through some old gardening magazines and found many spring pictures.
You may have noticed that there are several postage stamps on both pages. I have collected stamps since I was a child. I don't collect them for their value, they're not organized or in books. I collect them because I think they're pretty!
This was such fun!
Cutting out pictures and
gluing them down made me
fell like a child again!
I'm linking this to
a challenge by Brenda to try something new each month.
Oh, Cathy! I LOVE this challenge. Getting your "hands dirty" with glue and paper and scissors taps into a different part of the creative spirit. And what a wonderful use of your stamp collection. Your words are a beautiful artist's declaration and manifesto - so strong and sure and true. You have transformed this "slow time" with your camera into a creative triumph of a different sort. Showing us that there are many ways to express our imagination. Thanks so much for sharing with the Third Thursday Challenge!
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful to have a craft room just for you! A place where you can stick and cut and create and decorate and enjoy that childlike quality we all have in us hiding somewhere. So nice to collect memories!
ReplyDeleteSounds like this was good therapy while your camera and you are taking a break. It is good to try new things and get those creative juices stirred up :)
ReplyDeleteThese are so lovely! What a great way to spend creative time, I love your collages and your words - especially the part about knowing in your heart you are an artist. Through my daughter I've revisited so many crafts that I used to do as a child - it's lovely to be taken back to that feeling and I think inspires more creativity too. Happy weekend. :)
ReplyDeletei'm so glad that while you're taking a break from photography you are not taking a break from creating. or blogging. :) thank you for sharing your beautiful creations. they have lifted my spirit today which it desperately needed. xoxo
ReplyDeleteCathy, I love that you've found such a great way to actually use your beautiful collected stamps. Your collaged pages are lovely, very creative and so much fun. I have so many idle art supplies - and yes, blank journals and sketch pads, too. It's wonderful that you're challenging yourself to put yours to such satisfying use. You're an inspiration!
ReplyDeletesuch a great project to capture that milestone in your life and to just be creative in a different way. Yea to you Ms Cathy.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your new art projects -- your creative collages are beautiful! How great to find new outlets for your creativity! And congrats on turning 60!!
ReplyDeleteVery creative, these look lovely.
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